MSNBC’s Reid Cuts Off Tom Ridge Statement for ‘Opening With Politics’

Wednesday on MSNBC’s soon-to-be-cancelled “Reid Report,” host Joy Reid cut away from a press conference about the political battle over funding for DHS with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and the first secretary of the department, former Republican governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge, when Ridge stated his opposition to the president’s immigration executive order, for “opening with politics.”
Johnson introduced Ridge by saying, “Now, I want to turn it over to my predecessor number one, Secretary Tom Ridge. And thank you for being here.”

Ridge began, “Thank you, Secretary. First of all, let me say, Mr. Secretary, I’m grateful that you gave me an opportunity to participate in this press conference. Because I think your goal is one that I’m proud to say and as you’ve indicated, all four secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security embrace. Let me say at the outset, ladies and gentlemen, that I personally believe as a former member of the Congress of the United States, that the president has gravely overstepped his constitutional authority. That is my strong opinion. And I do think from the political and legislative point of view there is, the party in opposition, the Republican party has every right to challenge that. But I don’t think we right that wrong on the backs of the patriots that go to work every day to provide safety and security at the Department of Homeland Security.”

A “surprised,” Reid cut in, saying, “That is former Pennsylvania governor and former Department of Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, opening with politics and saying that as a political matter, he believes that the president of the United States overstepped his boundaries when it comes to immigration. But that in his words, that wrong, as he called it, shouldn’t be righted on the backs of the people.”

When Reid brought in NBC’s Luke Russert from Capitol Hill, she said “Luke, so leading with politics, Tom Ridge there, and they are still marrying together these DHS issues regarding Homeland Security and immigration, which surprised me a little bit. I’m wondering how that struck you?”